


Defenders of Earth: Merchants of Death.

by Darth_Brando



Series: Defenders of Earth [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Sailor Moon - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-30
Updated: 2014-07-09
Packaged: 2018-02-06 21:21:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1872918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darth_Brando/pseuds/Darth_Brando
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part 1 of Defenders of Earth. </p><p>A pair of merchants from another world show up, selling products that make people happy, but they're hiding a deadly secret. Can we discover their plot and save the planet before they sell out? Stick around, and I'll show you!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Names are based on the English Sub of the original anime, but has a blend of the Manga and Anime. Where they conflict, the Manga is considered the correct canon.
> 
> This is also a crossover with Doctor Who. The Doctor will play no role in the series.
> 
> I have made every attempt to fuse the canon of both series together as smoothly as possible, but there are times when one universe's canon has to bend slightly.
> 
> Currently, there are 13 stories planned.
> 
> This work is also available on FanFiction and Lunaescence

****

**Planet 5 - Between Mars and Jupiter  
2 Months after Galaxia's defeat**

The barrier resisted another attack from the Fendahl Core. She shrieked in frustration and continued slamming into it, over and over. With every attack, she cursed the unknown entities who had trapped her planet and her people.

She had been lucky, if it could be called that. She had seen the barrier going up and had tried to flee. She almost made it, but the barrier closed around her, trapping her in a sort of bubble. _At least the barrier is thinner because of it._

She slammed into the barrier again, but it refused to budge. She was weak and tired from her useless attack on the barrier. "We will NOT die here," she spat.

Reluctantly, she tapped into the power of her thirteen Fendahleen and began to focus it. Once she was sure she had tapped enough, she released the energy in a focused beam. It smashed into the barrier with a roar. There was a cracking sound as the barrier split open for a fraction of a second.

It was more than enough. The Fendahl Core launched herself through the crack, crooning in victory.

It was short lived. The barrier closed again, cutting the Fendahl Core off from the Fendahleen she relied on for most of her energy. Without them, she felt her power drop drastically and feared she might die. Her vision swam, but she remained conscious and, more importantly, alive. She shuddered as the last of the Fendahleen’s voices fell silent, leaving her drifting alone in the darkness of space. She had never experienced loneliness before. Even when trapped, she had her Fendhaleen.

She looked back at the spot where her planet was. With the barrier closed, her planet was, once again, out of sync with the rest of the Universe, frozen in a Time Lock. Hatred burned within her, directed at whoever had trapped her planet and her people.

The Fendahl closed her eyes as she tried sending a message to her kin. _I will be back. I will free you._

Wearily, she turned her attention back to the rest of the solar system. She could feel energy and life coming from several of them. Only one was teeming with life and energy. There was more than enough for her to consume. _I could grow strong enough to break the Time Lock and free my kin._

Eagerly, she calculated the distance to and speed of the blue planet. Once done, she focused some of her precious energy, releasing it to send herself hurtling through space at the speed of sound.

Within a quarter of an hour, the Fendahl was brushing the atmosphere of the planet. As she passed through, the air around her roared like thunder, heating up to a point that was nearly fatal to her.

Desperately, she tapped into her energy to create a weak shield. She was uncomfortable, but it was enough to keep her from burning up. Once she was in no danger of burning, she gently probed the minds of the dominant, intelligent species. After a few moments of contemplating, she used the last of her energy to morph herself into a human female.

With no energy left to control her descent and her vision flickering wildly, she let herself fall towards the huge city below. She dropped between two buildings and crashed into the alley, leaving a small crater and sending up a cloud of dust and debris.

Wincing at the pain caused by movement and her weakened state, she slowly looked up to see a befuddled man staring at her. "You okay kid?" he asked, approaching. He glanced up at the top of the building before looking back. "You had a bit of a fall there. We should get you to a hospital."

"I'm fine..." the girl's voice came out harshly. "Just... hungry..." She considered consuming him, but didn't have the energy left to stand, let alone consume his life force.

The man helped the Fendahl Core to her feet. "Sure you don't want me to call an ambulance?" He asked gently.

"I'm fine," the girl insisted. "I just need something to eat."

"Well, come on then," the man said gently. "Let's get some food in you."

He led her to a nearby restaurant and ordered some food. Within seconds of receiving the food, the Fendahl Core devoured it. She scowled slightly. Physical food was only moderately useful to her. _For the time being, it'll have to do._

The man stared at her in disbelief for a moment. "You weren't kidding," he said, the shock obvious on his face. "Never seen anyone eat like that."

The Fendahl smiled coldly at the man. "Thank you," she said. "I really must be going now."

Before the man could reply, the Fendahl brushed past him and left the restaurant. She wandered the streets aimlessly, trying to decide her next move. _I have to blend in, at least until I can regain my strength and create more Fendahleen. I'm too vulnerable right now._

She paused for a moment as she came across a building. "Juuban Municipal High School..." she read aloud. Everything she had gleaned from her probing flashed through her mind. "Perfect."

She paused as a girl dashed up to the building, her mass of blond hair, tied in two braids, flying behind her like streamers.

The Fendahl looked at herself, then at the girl. Deciding they looked close in age, she approached the other girl as she was opening the doors. "Excuse me," The Fendahl said coolly. "I'm new here and I need to register."

"Oh, hi!" The girl smiled warmly at her. "I'm Serena!"

"I'm..." The Fendahl struggled to come up with a name for a moment. "Anastasia."

"Nice to meet you!" Serena replied cheerfully. "Come on, I can use you as an excuse for being late!" She grabbed Anastasia by the arm and dragged her inside the building.

After being registered, Anastasia used fake information, she was given a uniform and assigned to Serena's class. Serena babbled happily as they walked to their classroom. Anastasia ignored her, but she seemed not to notice.

The two finally made it to the classroom. "Serena, late again," the teacher sighed in exasperation.

"I brought a new student!" Serena announced proudly. "This is Anastasia!" Serena shoved her in front of the class.

The class greeted Anastasia warmly. She crossed her arms in discomfort as the class pestered her with questions. The teacher quickly ended it by directing Anastasia to a vacant chair. "You can all ask your questions at lunch," the teacher said. "Right now though, we have a lot of material to go through. Open your books to page three-hundred ninety-four. . ."


	2. Chapter 2

**Orbit of Sol V (Jupiter)**

Hard rock blared over the ship's intercom, waking the captain. "Lileen," she growled sleepily.

After a moment without any reply, the captain growled more loudly. "Lileen!"

When no answer was forthcoming, the captain sighed. She stretched and scratched her yellowish-green skin with her long claws before crawling out of the bed. After rubbing the sleep from her large, black eyes, she ambled out of her cabin and to the bridge.

"Lileen, turn that racket off!" The captain ordered.

"Sorry Caizeen," Lileen said sheepishly. "D-D-four-T-seven, deactivate music."

The small, round, floating droid bobbled its visual receptors in a nod. "Yes, sir." it said. The music immediately stopped playing, and Caizeen sighed in relief.

"Much better," she growled. "What was that for anyway?"

DD4T7 waved its small, slender arms. "I calculated that our mission would have a higher chance of success if we were to familiarize ourselves with human culture," it said glumly. "As this is an, as of yet, mostly unexplored sector, in order to provide a full report to the Council of Raxacoricofallapatorius, it is important we understand the local species."

Caizeen made a rumbling growling sound. "Your idea was to blare human music and wake me up?"

"I thought music would be a good place to start."

"I didn't buy you to think," Caizeen growled irritably. "I bought you to maintain the ship and do most of the work."

"I was not designed as a repair droid," DD7T7 protested. "I am an interpreter and database of all known species to assist in exploration efforts."

"Shut up before I scrap you and dump what's left out the airlock," Caizeen snapped. "Or we can take you back to the junkyard you were dumped in."

Lileen laughed. "Stupid droid. Go clean the 'freshers."

As DD4T7 hovered away dejectedly, Caizeen turned her attention to Lileen. "Have you selected a trial city?"

Lileen bobbed his long neck. "Yes, ma'am." He pointed to the screen in front of him. "Based on surveillance, I believe that the city called 'Tokyo' would be an ideal site for a survey. It's big enough to get a large sample, and if something should go wrong with the product, no one will notice a few people that go missing. Or at least, they'll have no way of finding them."

"Excellent," Caizeen mused. "Set a landing course. I want us set up and ready to start testing within one of the planet's days. The faster we get done, the sooner we can get home and get paid."

"And the sooner we can dump DD in a trash heap," Lileen added.

Caizeen nodded. "Aye. Now get us down."

"Yes, ma'am," Lileen replied, turning back to the controls.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Sol III (Earth), Tokyo**

The great Wurm loomed above the city. It screeched so loudly that the ground shook and car alarms all across the city started blaring.

It twisted its massive head, larger than a skyscraper, towards the small group that was opposing it. It opened its jaws revealing thousands of massive, serrated teeth. The Wurm screamed again, bits of buildings, machines and earth falling from its teeth.

The gust caused by the scream managed to knock the small group down, except for one figure. Tuxedo Mask glared defiantly up at the great beast. Around him, the Sailor Scouts were struggling to their feet.

The Wurm split into thirteen smaller versions that formed a circle in the air. At the center, a dark mass writhed and took shape. It slowly formed into a woman with skin and hair that seemed to be made of gold. Her large, solid black eyes looked down at them and she laughed.

"Your resistance is futile. None of you can match my power."

"What are you?" Sailor Mars demanded, fighting to keep the pain from her injuries out of her voice.

The golden woman tilted her head slightly to the right. "I was the last child of the Forgotten Planet. Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds." She held up a hand and a massive whirlwind formed, pulling Tuxedo Mask and the scouts towards the thirteen wurms.

They gripped whatever they could, desperately trying to fight the vortex. But it was futile. First Tuxedo Mask's hat and mask were ripped away. Then as the gust grew stronger the scouts were sucked up one by one, each falling into a different, waiting maw. "No!" Sailor Moon sobbed, reaching for her friends. It was useless as they were already gone.

"Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask cried out, reaching for her. But there was another gust that knocked Tuxedo Mask to the ground. Still, he reached for her. As their fingers touched, she too was sucked away into the waiting maw of a Wurm. "Serena! No!"

The golden woman laughed, "Your world is MINE." She raised her right hand, pointing at Tuxedo Mask.

He gritted his teeth and stood to face her. "Is that all you've got? I'm not afraid of you!"

The woman continued laughing. "Behold, my power." A lance of light shot from her finger and pierced Darien's chest. Everything went dark and he felt as if he were falling.

Darien awoke as he hit the floor of his bedroom. He grunted as he slowly sat up, placing his hand over his wildly pounding heart. When it had slowed, he carefully stood and staggered across his apartment, heading for the balcony. He threw open the door to the balcony and forced himself to walk out onto it, clinging to the railing to stay upright.

He slowed his breathing, taking deep breaths of the cool night air. "It was just a dream," he said to himself, more for his own comfort than anything. Despite his self-assurances, his body refused to stop trembling.

He continued taking slow, deep breaths as he focused on the crescent moon above. It reminded him of Serena, and a small smile crossed his face. But it quickly disappeared as a vision of the golden woman laughing flashed through his mind.

But it was quickly forgotten as he spotted a burst of light in the sky. He watched, curious, as it descended into the city. "Probably a helicopter," he murmured. But something about it nagged at him. Deciding he couldn't get back to sleep anyway, he headed back inside. After a quick change of clothes, he left the building, heading to where the light had descended.


	3. Chapter 3

Darien reached the site a quarter of an hour later.

He had passed by the spot several times before. Where once had been an empty lot sat a small, pink shop. He frowned as he examined it, feeling a sense of unease. The sign over the door had a single word; "Happiness". Darien tried peering into the window, but couldn't make anything out past the display full of charms, bracelets and stuffed animals. He reached over and tried the door, but it refused to open.

"Locked, of course," he murmured to himself. He crossed his arms and leaned against a pillar next to the door, waiting for someone to show up and open the door.

No one did. Instead, the doors slid silently open as the foot traffic started to pick up. Darien frowned. Cautiously, he approached the shop and stepped in. It was void of any shelves or displays.

A short, blonde woman approached him as soon as he entered. "Welcome to the Happy Shop!" She chirped."How can we make you happy today?"

"I'm happy enough, thanks," Darien replied dryly.

The woman seemed befuddled for a moment. "Right... May I assist you in some other way?"

Darien's eyes narrowed at the woman. "This shop wasn't here yesterday."

"I can assure you, it's been here for many years now," the woman said, seemingly oblivious to Darien's hostility. "Well, the building at least. We moved in not long ago."

"What do you sell?" Darien demanded, glancing around the seemingly empty shop. "You seem a bit low on products."

"Forgive me," the woman responded as she hit a button beneath the counter. Dozens of shelves popped out from the floors and walls. Signs designating what the products were dropped out of the ceiling. "Everything here is designed to improve happiness," the woman continued after the shelves settled in.

With surprising strength, she grabbed Darien’s arm and dragged him around the shop, showing him the various wares. He tried pulling away, but her grip was too strong for him to break. She didn’t seem to notice his attempts as she babbled happily.

"All our products release pheromones that cause you and those around you to feel happier," she explained. "All our products are laced with chemicals that cause endorphin production in the brain. Endorphins are chemicals in the brain that make one feel happy."

"I know what Endorphins are," Darien replied flatly.

The woman continued unphased. "So what'll it be? Is it something for you? A girlfriend perhaps?"

The dream of Serena falling into the wurm's waiting maw as the golden woman laughed flashed through Darien's mind again, causing his heart to flutter.

"Girlfriend it is then!" The woman announced.

"How-?"

"Did I know that?" The woman's smile stretched wider. "Your heart rate went through the roof when I mentioned a girlfriend."

Darien jerked his arm out of the woman's grasp. "Very observant of you.”

"Thank you!" The woman said happily. "Now, what are you going to buy?"

Darien glanced around the shop. He spotted a small bracelet and picked it up. _Couldn't hurt to have Luna, Ami and Artemis check it out._

"An excellent choice!" the woman chirped. "Anything else?"

"Erm... no,"

The woman dragged Darien back to the register and, before he realized what was happening, the transaction was over and the woman shoved him out the door. "Goodbye and come again soon! Tell your friends about us!" She yelled as the doors shut behind Darien.

Darien blinked in the bright sunlight for a moment. He took a step away from the shop and the next thing he was aware of was a mass of gold crashing into him. The package with the bracelet fell out of his hand as he tumbled to the ground.

The bracelet clinked against the ground and Darien reached for it. But a familiar voice interrupted him. "Watch where you're going!"

Darien looked over to see Serena clambering to her feet, face set in a pout. When she saw him, her expression quickly changed to one of joy. "Darien!" she said happily.

"Hey meatball head," Darien replied, climbing to his feet. "Mind watching where you're going next time?"

"Heh..." Serena looked embarrassed as Darien helped her to her feet. "Sorry about that... but what are you doing here? Don’t you have classes?"

“You’re lecturing me about attending class?” Darien asked, amused. 

Serena didn’t hear him because she noticed the bracelet and scooped it up. "You were buying me a gift? Darien, you shouldn't have!" She squealed in joy.

Before Darien could protest, Serena gave him a quick hug, and then dashed off towards school. "Sorry I can't stay, I'm late!" She called over her shoulder. "I'll see you at dinner tonight!"

"Serena wait it's..." Darien said. He gave up as Serena rounded the corner. He sighed in exasperation before jogging after her. He didn’t get far before Luna, lunch sack in mouth, bounded by him.

"Hey Luna," he said, bending down to scoop up the cat and the sack.

Luna huffed in relief. "Thank you Darien," she said wearily. "Once again, Serena has forgotten her lunch. And you KNOW how she gets when she hasn't eaten."

"Trust me, I know," Darien said as Luna settled herself on his shoulder. He gestured to the Happiness Shop. "Something's up with that place. I think we might have a new enemy. What's worse, Serena has a bracelet from there."

"Of course she does,” Luna complained. “Only Serena could find time to shop before school! Honestly, that girl is unbelievable sometimes. How she managed to defeat any enemy we’ve faced, I’ll never understand.”

"My fault actually," Darien admitted. He explained his plan to have Ami analyze it and the run-in with Serena.

"Then there's no time to lose," Luna said determinedly. "Get me to the school. I'll get the bracelet from Serena and have Artemis check out the shop. I'll also give the Scouts a heads up. We’ll call you if anything comes up.”


	4. Chapter 4

"The shop is highly successful ma'am," the short blonde woman said glumly. Her form wavered for a moment and the hologram shut down, revealing DD4T7. "We have a sample size of two hundred sixty three. An additional fourteen may be added as items were purchased as gifts."

"Good, good," Caizeen rumbled before popping an entire fish into her mouth. "They suspect nothing?"

DD4T7 swiveled its visual receptors left and right. "No, ma'am," it said sadly. "My observations lead me to conclude that the humans are happy to purchase the products without any suspicion."

"Excellent," Caizeen purred. "Walk me through the process again Lileen."

"Yes, ma'am," Lileen growled. He shifted in his seat to face the Caizeen "The product is, to a degree, accurate in what it is advertised to do. The chemicals and pheromones released will indeed produce endorphin. However, the product also releases highly toxic chemicals that are absorbed by the skin. Exposure for seven of this planet's days is enough to absorb a fatal concentration. At least, the idea is that the concentration is fatal. That's why we're testing it. If our experiment is successful, the compound will be used in warfare."

"It's barbaric," DD4T7 mumbled. "This is a Class 5 planet. The Shadow Proclamation would-"

"Shut up and get back to work before I wipe your memory," Caizeen interrupted.

DD4T7 made a sighing sound. Light rippled around it and the short blonde woman reappeared. She looked unhappily at the two Raxacoricofallapatorians.

"Remember, chin up and smile on!" Lileen ordered. "Let's sell more products!"

The woman put on a fake smile before stepping back out to the shop.

"I hate that droid," Caizeen rumbled before downing another fish. "I should have scrapped it when I had the chance."

Lileen shrugged. "We do need it."

"For now," Caizeen growled.

"Why don't you wipe its memory?" Lileen asked.

"Because I need its database on other alien life forms," Caizeen spit. "Not to mention the holograms and its ability to adapt and blend into the local culture. I can't imagine the humans would be overly pleased to buy the products from us."

"Wish they would finish testing on that compression field," Lileen replied. "Then we could blend in ourselves."

Caizeen scratched her chin. "Yes, that would be nice. But we don't need to wait until then. I'm scrapping that droid the second the mission is complete."

\------------------------------------------------------------

"Where are you from Ana?" Melvin asked, pushing his glasses back into place.

Anastasia shifted uncomfortably at the attention. She tugged at her waist-length reddish-brown hair, tied into a single braid. "Far away," she answered truthfully.

"Lots of places are far away," another student pushed.

Anastasia hesitated for a moment, her violet eyes flicking around at the assembled students, before answering hesitantly. "I'm from… Australia. Sydney."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Melvin exclaimed. "Did you know almost everything in Australia is toxic?"

"She's a bit pale if she's from Australia," Ami commented to Serena, Mina and Lita. "She looks like she hasn't seen the sun in years."

"Who cares?" Serena whined. "I'm stuck here without lunch again. It's too much to bear... I'm going to waste away! Wither into nothingness and die! Don’t any of you have even a crumb?"

Lita shook her head. “Sorry. I didn’t have time to get groceries so I made less than usual.”

“You need to learn to be more responsible,” Ami said without looking up from her book.

Serena moved to sit next to Mina. “Mina… you don’t want me to starve and waste away, do you?”

Mina sighed as she reluctantly offered the remains of her lunch to Serena. “Oh, Serena. What would you do without me?”

Serena almost cried with joy. “Mina, I love you forever.”

Ami frowned. “You really shouldn’t encourage her. You know if you forgot your lunch, she wouldn’t share with you.”

“Of course I would,” Serena mumbled through a full mouth. “I would share with anyone who forgot their food.” She swallowed and sighed as she looked down at the empty container.

Luna leaped down from the fence, lunch bag in mouth. Without hesitation, Serena scooped Luna up, and embraced her tightly. Luna squawked in indignation as Serena hugged tighter. "Thank you Luna, you've saved my life again!" Serena squealed. She dropped Luna, ripped open the bag and started inhaling the food inside. 

Luna started speaking again, but fell silent as Anastasia approached them.  
"Oh, hey Ana," Lita said, noticing the absence of any food in Anastasia's possession. "Aren't you, hungry?"

Anastasia's small lips turned up in a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I'm always hungry," she replied.

Lita grinned mischievously. "I'm sure Serena would be happy to share some of her lunch.”

"Eh?" Serena mumbled through a full mouth.

“You did say you would share with anyone who forgot their food,” Mina pointed out.

"That's very generous of her," Anastasia responded.

Serena gave her friends a death glare as she reluctantly offered the remains of her lunch to Anastasia. In seconds Anastasia inhaled the remainder. When finished, she licked what was left off her slender fingers.

"Wow Serena, she eats like you do," Lita said in awe.

"That's a first," Ami added.

Serena stared at the empty containers and whimpered.

“Serena, you’ll be fine,” Mina commented. “You had half of my lunch and most of yours.”

"Hey Ana," Lita said as the idea came to mind. "You should join us for dinner."

Anastasia smiled distantly. "That would be lovely," she said.

"Great, meet us at the entrance of the school when class is over," Ami replied.

Anastasia turned and walked away. When she was out of earshot, Luna spoke up. "Serena, I need that bracelet," she ordered.

"But... why?" Serena pouted. "Darien just got it for me."

"He got it because he thinks we may have a new enemy," Luna replied irritably. 

There was a moment of silence. Serena squawked and ripped the bracelet off as quickly as she could, then threw it on the ground.

"NEW enemy?!" Lita barked. "But we just beat Galaxia!"

Luna tilted her head slightly. "Yes, but she isn’t the only threat in the galaxy. Undoubtedly, there’s a lot out there and we’re woefully unaware of most of it."

Ami pulled a handkerchief from her bag and used it to pick up the bracelet and deftly wrapped it inside before offering it to Luna.

“I’m going to take this to our base to analyze,” Luna continued. “Ami, the second you’re done with school, I want you to come and check it as well. In the meantime, Artemis will be keeping an eye on the shop where Darien found this.”

Luna gripped the bundle in her teeth and bounded off again. The scouts watched her grimly.

“I really hope it’s a normal bracelet,” Mina said.

Lita nodded. “Same. But, knowing how things usually go, that’s probably too much to ask for.”


	5. Chapter 5

After the final bell rang, Lita, Mina, Ami and Serena gathered at the entrance of the school. They glanced around for a moment, looking for Anastasia.

"Where's Ana?" Lita asked.

"Here," Anastasia said, as she approached them from behind.

"Hi Ana," Ami said. "How was your first day?"

"Educational," Anastasia replied dryly, although she was fascinated by how little humans knew of science.

"That's the point," Lita laughed. "Unless you're Serena. Then it's just another nap time."

"Hey!" Serena replied indignantly. "I occasionally pay attention."

"If you would pay attention and study more, your grades would be better," Ami chided.

"My grades are fine, thank you," Serena grumbled. “Mina and I spend hours studying.”

“Yeah!” Mina replied.

Ami sighed. “When you say ‘studying’ I know both of you are at the arcade.”

"Uh... guys?" Lita interjected, looking mildly embarrassed. The others turned to face her. 

"Maybe we shouldn't argue in front of Ana?"

"You're right Lita," Ami said. "Sorry about that. I'm Ami."

"I'm Lita," Lita said. "It's nice to meet you Anastasia."

“I’m Mina!”

"It's nice to meet you," Anastasia replied coolly.

"Now that's out of the way, let's get to the temple and meet the others so we can eat," Serena said. "I'm starving."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Hikawa Shrine**

Rei sat in quiet contemplation before the fire. Her brow furrowed as she sensed something approaching. It was unlike anything she had ever felt. Most things she sensed were good or evil. This was neither. It was just an intense sense of loneliness and anger around a void with echoes of an intense power.

Before she could find the source, Rei heard Serena’s obnoxious laugh outside. Rei opened her eyes and grumbled in frustration. Deciding that further meditating with Serena around would be a waste of time, she stood and stepped outside where the others were waiting. She hesitated when she spotted the newcomer.

"Hello," Rei said cautiously. Something about the newcomer bothered her, but she wasn't sure what it was. The visitor seemed normal enough, except for the eyes. Other than being a lighter shade of purple than Rei’s, they seemed cold and distant, like looking at a faraway glacier.

"Rei, meet Anastasia," Ami said.

Anastasia glanced at Rei. "It's nice to meet you," Anastasia said coolly.

Rei's eyes narrowed slightly at Anastasia’s mocking tone. She felt an intense dislike and mistrust of the visitor, but she quickly hid it. "It's nice to meet you too," Rei replied in an equally cool voice.

Before they could say anything else, Darien, Luna and Artemis arrived. After they had been introduced to Anastasia (Luna and Artemis remained silent), the group entered Rei's house.

There, they spent the next few hours making dinner under Lita’s careful supervision. They laughed and joked, and, as usual, Serena and Rei fought over unimportant details. All the while, Anastasia watched, fascinated by the humans around her.

As the food was cooking in the oven, the girls watched TV, something Anastasia found both entertaining and educational. She had never left her homeworld before and the differences fascinated her. At some point, a short, elderly man, whom Rei called "Grandpa", entered the room. He was quite energetic about meeting Anastasia and had insisted on giving her a charm he insisted would repel evil spirits.

She accepted the charm with a dark smile. She felt something else as well as she studied the small group. Like a warm glow in her chest. Was this what humans called happiness? She shoved the feeling aside, quelling it as quickly as possible. She could not allow herself to feel any affection for the group. She was Fendhal and they were human. She was predator and they were prey.

Despite herself, she couldn't help but like the little group. She allowed herself a brief moment of sadness, knowing that when she recovered she would have to devour them. But she quickly pushed it aside. Her hunger was too great for any amount of sympathy to outweigh.  
Once the food was ready, the group dug in. Both Serena and Anastasia devoured their first servings in seconds. Before the others could even finish what they had, Serena and Anastasia managed to eat everything left.

The others just watched in horrified awe, as the food seemed to vanish in seconds. "I never thought I would see the day when someone could eat as much as Serena," Mina said in surprise.

Anastasia glanced forlornly at the now empty dishes. "I should really be going," she said. "My parents are waiting for me. Thank you for inviting me. If you'll excuse me." 

The others bade her farewell as she walked out the doors.

Satisfied Anastasia was gone, Luna spoke up. "Artemis and I scanned the bracelet and the results are troubling. If I understand correctly, the bracelet contains several chemicals, majority of which are unidentifiable. But what I do know is that the bracelet will cause the wearer to be happier. At the same time, it also releases chemicals that can cause severe illness, possibly death if anyone is exposed to it for too long."

Lita crossed her arms. "Why didn’t you call us on the communicators?"

Artemis frowned. “Someone is jamming the signal. Whoever they are, they don’t want us communicating.”

“We’re not sure they’re aware of you,” Luna interjected. “I think it’s more likely something they’re doing had a side effect of stopping our communicators.”

Rei rubbed her forehead. "Will they never stop coming?"

"It hasn't even been three months since we beat Galaxia," Serena sighed wearily. "Weren’t they told they shouldn’t fight us if they expect to win? Come on, let’s take care of them so we can eat dessert.”

The others nodded in agreement as they pulled out their transformation sticks.

Outside, Anastasia hesitated as she spotted bright flashes of various colors. She turned to see the light originating from the house she had just left. Curious, she slowly approached. The lights stopped and the doors opened before she could reach it. Not wanting to be caught still around, Anastasia quickly transformed into a cat, similar to the ones she had seen in the house.

From the house came the girls and the man from before, but in different clothing. The two cats were with them. Anastasia waited until they dashed past before following at a discreet distance.


	6. Chapter 6

**Happiness Shop**

"DD!" Cazieen shrieked as a buzzer went off. "Get out to the shop! We have customers!"

"It's an odd time for customers," DD4T7 replied. "All other shops in this area are closed.”

"Shut up and get out there," Cazieen growled.

The droid turned its attention to Cazieen. "As you wish," it said dejectedly. The light around it shimmered and the hologram of the saleswoman appeared.

She stepped out into the shop. "Welcome to the Happy shop!" she said cheerfully to the six individuals that were waiting outside.

The group, all in similar costumes with the exception of the man, glared at her. One of them, a girl with raven hair stepped forward menacingly. "We know what your product actually does," she hissed.

"Yes, it makes the wearer happy," the saleswoman replied. She smiled warmly at the group. "Is there something I can interest you in today?"

"Who's in charge?" The man asked.

The saleswoman turned to him. "Oh, you're that man from earlier today," she said. "Are you unhappy with your purchase?"

The man seemed taken aback. Even with the mask it was obvious. "What makes you think I’ve been here before?" he demanded.

"Voice patterns are the same," the saleswoman replied. "Additionally, scans indicate a one hundred percent genetic match between you and the individual I referred to." The woman realized what she said and tried to rephrase. "I mean, you look the same. I could be mistaken, but you sound the same too." As she spoke, she slowly backed towards the door marked ‘employees only’.

"You really should leave now," the saleswoman said nervously. "The shop is closed. Goodnight!" She slipped through the door before the group could stop her.

Lileen looked up from his holozine. "Done already?"

"We have a problem," the saleswoman said as the hologram shut down.

"What is it now?" Cazieen grumbled, getting up from the chair she had been lounging in.

Before DD4T7 could respond, the door burst open.

Cazieen opened her mouth. "What the –"

"Who are you?" Lileen interrupted. “You aren’t supposed to be here!”

"You seek to harm people by promising them happiness," the blonde girl with twin braids announced. "We're here to bring an end to whatever evil you three are up to!"

Lileen scratched his head. “Who the hell are you?”

Cazieen shrugged as the girl continued speaking. "I'm Sailor Moon! I will right wrongs and triumph over evil!" she pointed at the Raxacoricofallapatorians. "And that means you!"

Cazieen tilted her head slightly to the side, her large black eyes blinking rapidly. "What are they blithering about?"

DD4T7 swiveled its visual receptors towards Cazieen. "She's threatening you."

"Bah," Lileen snorted. "They're only human."

"Be aware that they are in possession of non-terrestrial technology," DD4T7 replied. "I am also detecting large levels of psycho-kinetic energy. Based on my calculations, I would advise –"

"Shut up DD," Cazieen snapped. "I think we can handle a group of children. I think they're children. I can't tell with humans. They're all so small and frail. How such a weak, backwards species ever survived is beyond my ability to understand."

“Cazieen, do you think they taste better than fish?”

“We could find out.”

"I'd like to see you try, ugly," Mars snapped.

"Ugly?" Lileen shrieked before charging Mars.

Mars' Flame Sniper hit Lileen in the chest. He squawked in pain, but kept charging, raising his sharp claws for the kill. Before he could take a swing, Mercury's Shine Aqua Illusion hit his face and froze.

Unable to see, he tripped and crashed into the ground. Before he could get up, Venus tied him down with her Love Me Chain. He struggled uselessly for a minute, trying to both escape the chains and remove the ice from his face.

Jupiter shot a bolt of Supreme Thunder towards Cazieen. Before it could hit, Cazieen reached up and batted DD4T7 into the oncoming bolt. The droid let out an electronic screech as the bolt struck.

"Finally a use for that stupid droid," Cazieen said smugly.

DD4T7 bobbed in a circle for a moment. Suddenly it stopped and turned its visual receptors towards Cazieen. "Ma'am, I'm turning in my resignation and seeking new employment." It said. It cautiously hovered over to the scouts. "I would like to offer my services." It said.

"You're working for them," Mars snapped. "I should fry you now." A fireball danced at the tip of her fingertips.

"I can help you defeat them," DD4T7 replied nervously, not looking away from the fireball.

"What?" Cazieen shrieked. "You tell them anything and I'll personally rip out your circuits and dump them into a star, you worthless pile of scrap!"

"Acid," DD4T7 replied, ignoring Cazieen's threat.

Cazieen screamed and charged at DD4T7. She didn't make it far before being hit with a combination of attacks. She fell to the ground next to Lileen, bound as he was by Venus' Love Chain.

"Acid?" Venus asked as she fought to keep the two Raxacoricofallapatorians contained.

DD4T7 bobbled its visual receptors in a nod. "Affirmative," it replied. "Raxacoricofallapatorians are calcium based life forms. They are highly vulnerable to acetic acid."

"Of course!" Mercury exclaimed.

The other scouts looked at her blankly.

"Calcium reacts with acetic acid," Mercury clarified.

"Where are we supposed to find ack, acec –" Sailor Moon struggled with the word.

Sailor Mars huffed in irritation. "Acetic Acid."

"Vinegar," Sailor Mercury replied.

Sailor Moon stared at her. “Vinegar? We’re supposed to save the world with vinegar?”

"Where are we supposed to find vinegar?" Tuxedo Mask asked.

"In a kitchen, of course," Sailor Jupiter replied.

“Hold them off,” Luna ordered. “Artemis and I will try to find some.”

The two bounded out the door. Cazieen and Lileen shrieked as they broke free of Venus' Love Me Chain. Venus moved to bind them again, but Cazieen swiped with one of her massive claws, striking Sailor Venus with a vicious backhand.

Sailor Venus was thrown into the wall. She grunted then collapsed to the ground.

"Venus!" Sailor Moon cried out, moving towards her friend.  
Venus winced as she stood and rejoined the others. “I’m alright.”

Sailor Moon nodded, her jaw set in determination. "Right," she said. She turned back to the other Scouts. "Let's teach these guys a lesson."

"I'm going to enjoy eating you," Cazieen growled. She raised a claw and pointed it at Sailor Moon. "Goodbye."

There was a puff of air and a small dart flew from Cazieen's outstretched claw and streaked towards Sailor Moon.

DD4T7 reached out and plucked the small dart out of the air. "Apologies," DD4T7 said to Sailor Moon. "I failed to mention that Raxacoricofallapatorian females possess the ability to fire a poison dart. Fortunately, it takes some time to create a new one." It tossed the dart aside. "However, I must warn you that she also possesses the ability to exhale a single concentrated burst of highly toxic gas."

Sailor Moon wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Talk about bad breath."

Lileen snorted. "I doubt eating you would make it better," he growled. "I can smell your stench from here. Besides you're too small and scrawny to eat. And ugly. Just looking at you gives me indigestion."

Sailor Moon's face flushed with anger and embarrassment. "Who are you calling ugly, you oversized –"

Cazieen screeched and charged the scouts. Lileen was right behind her. Despite the flurry of attacks that rained upon them, the two were only slowed enough to allow the scouts, Tuxedo Mask and DD4T7 enough time to retreat from the shop.

"How are these attacks not doing anything?" Sailor Mars demanded as another Flame Sniper smashed into Lileen. In response, he ripped a shelf out of the floor and hurled it at her.  
Sailor Mars ducked and the shelf, various products falling from it, soared over her head. The shelf crashed through the window of a restaurant on the other side of the street.

"They are, as I stated, calcium based life forms," DD4T7 answers. "Attacking them is similar to attacking stone."

"Stop talking and help us fight them!" Sailor Mars snapped.

"I cannot," DD4T7 replied. "My programming makes it impossible for me to engage in any form of physical combat."

Sailor Mars glared at DD4T7 for a moment. "What's the point in having you around?"

“I did tell you how to beat them,” DD4T7 replied.  
Artemis yelled from inside the restaurant. “There’s vinegar in here!”

"Thoughtful of him to give us an entrance," Sailor Jupiter said through gritted teeth. She fired off an Oak Evolution at Cazieen and Lileen.

Lileen took the hit while Cazieen used a nearby shelf as a shield. After the attack ran its course, Cazieen hurled the shelf at the Scouts.

The Scouts scattered, diving to the ground to avoid being struck. While they were down, Lileen and Cazieen charged them. Sailor Mars launched a Burning Mandala causing them to flinch. It gave enough time for the other scouts to recover and continue attacking.

"Sailor Moon," Sailor Jupiter said after launching another bolt of lightning. "Get into the restaurant and get that vinegar!"

Sailor Moon nodded before turning and dashing towards the restaurant. DD4T7 followed close behind.

Sailor Moon clambered over the windowsill, but her foot caught. She squawked as she fell towards the floor and the hundreds of sharp pieces of glass that lay there.

Before she hit the floor, DD4T7 grabbed her, holding her in place. She sighed in relief as the droid pulled her upright. "Thanks," she said. "You saved my face from horrible disfigurement. Can you imagine, me having to hide my face behind bandages?"

DD4T7 stared at Sailor Moon for a moment, unsure whether she was making an attempt at humor or not. Unable to decide, it changed the topic. "I would advise caution in the future." It swiveled its visual receptors around, taking in the entire restaurant. 

Artemis was standing by a set of swinging doors. “It’s in here. Hurry!”

DD4T7 hovered towards the door in question. Sailor Moon started following when she tripped over a chair. She squawked, arms pin wheeling in a futile attempt to stay up. She hit the ground face-first.

"Ouch…" she whimpered, as she sat up. She glanced at the mirror set behind the counter, trying to determine how bad the damage was.

"Sailor Moon, I would strongly advise assessing your injuries later," DD4T7 interjected. "At the moment our primary goal is to stop the Raxacoricofallapatorians."

"Right," Sailor Moon replied, mildly embarrassed.

She followed DD4T7 and Artemis through the doors to the kitchen. The droid turned on a small light slightly below and to the side of its visual receptors. The light from the narrow, yet powerful beam, bounced of the many reflective surfaces in the kitchen, giving it a silvery glow.  
DD4T7 hovered to a cabinet on the far side of the kitchen and opened it. Sailor Moon immediately spotted the large jar of vinegar. She struggled to heft it down from the shelf, almost dropping it in the process. She managed to get it to a nearby counter.

"I can't carry this back," she grumbled. "It's too heavy."

"Perhaps transporting the acetic acid in a smaller container would make the task easier," DD4T7 offered.

"How much do we need?" Sailor Moon asked. She spotted a measuring cup hanging from a hook above her head and pulled it down as DD4T7 replied.

"Not much," it said. "They react very violently with acetic acid. Even a small amount is fatal."  
To be on the safe side, Sailor Moon filled two measuring cups with vinegar before carefully making her way out of the restaurant. She rejoined the Scouts who still kept up the attack on Lileen and Cazieen.

"Did you get the vinegar?" Sailor Mercury asked.

Sailor Moon held up the measuring cups in response.

"Get those creeps and let's end this," Mars spat after firing another Burning Mandala.  
The Scouts let up their attacks to allow Lileen and Cazieen to get closer. Realizing the attacks had abated, the two screamed in rage before charging the scouts.

Deciding they were close enough, Sailor Moon threw one of the measuring cups at Cazieen. It struck her face, and the contents splashed everywhere, covering Cazieen in droplets of vinegar.

She froze. At the same time Sailor Moon threw the second measuring cup at Lileen. She missed and the container struck Cazieen instead. Most of the vinegar splashed onto Cazieen's body. What little remained splashed onto Lileen's arm.

The two stared at the Scouts for several seconds. "Hah," Cazieen proclaimed gleefully. "It didn't work." She screeched, raising a claw. "Die, bit–"

Cazieen exploded.

Bits sizzling from the chemical reaction splattered the walls and streets. The Scouts didn't escape it either, as foul smelling, goopy pieces rained down around them.

"Ew! Ew!" Sailor Moon screeched, attempting, but failing, to evade the falling pieces of Cazieen. "Why didn't you mention they would explode?"

"I was unaware that it would cause you so much distress," DD4T7 answered, clearly confused.

The other Scouts stood in horror and disgust, as they wiped off what bits they could.  
Only Lileen seemed unaffected by the loss of his partner. He stared at his arm as the vinegar slowly dripped down it. The skin started sizzling and bubbling as the acid started eating away at the calcium.

Lileen screamed in pain. In seconds, the acid ate through his arm. What was left, fell to the ground, one end sizzling. He howled in pain, staggering back towards the Happy Shop.  
"Stop him!" Sailor Jupiter exclaimed. "He's trying to get away!"

Even with one arm, Lileen managed to rip one of the few remaining shelves out of the ground. He hurled it at the Scouts. They ducked out of the way, giving Lileen enough time to stagger into the back of the shop. Before entering, he growled at the Scouts. "This isn't over." He staggered inside, the door sliding closed behind him.

"He's trapped now," Sailor Mars said triumphantly, a fireball dancing at her fingertips.

The shop collapsed. From the rubble, a small ship hovered up. It swerved in the air, crashing into the adjacent building. Bits of brick, plaster and glass fell to the ground as the ship floated away from the building. Slowly, the ship turned until it was pointing at the sky. Its engines roared before it streaked away, quickly becoming lost among the stars.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The cat's tail curled and uncurled as it watched the end of the fight. Its eyes narrowed as it contemplated what it had witnessed. That the girls were powerful was obvious. They were easily powerful enough to present a threat to her, at least for now. The cat watched as the girls hurried away. "You can't run from me," the cat purred. "I'll be keeping a close eye on you."

The cat turned and sauntered away. At the end of the block, it transformed back into Anastasia.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hikawa Shrine**

"What are we going to do about all the products they sold?" Lita asked after the group had returned to Rei's house.

DD4T7 sounded pleased with itself as it replied. "I lied to them. The products they were selling contained only traces of the chemicals. Enough to fool their scanners, but not enough to cause any kind of harm to anyone. People who are exposed will be mildly ill for a few days but are in no danger."

"What are we going to do with you?" Ami asked DD4T7. "You can't just float around all the time. It'll draw attention to you."

DD4T7 swiveled its visual receptors to Ami. "I can disguise myself," it said proudly. "In addition, my programming is adaptive, allowing me to blend into any culture. I am also capable of memorizing all information I process with one hundred percent accuracy."

"You could pretend to be me and go to school so I don't have to," Serena said slyly.

Rei rolled her eyes. "That's cheating Serena. You can't have a droid pretend to be you!"

"Why not?" Serena demanded. "If it's willing to -"

Ami interrupted. "School is supposed to prepare us for the future. If you aren't there, how can you learn anything?"

Serena waved Ami's objections away. "That's the point! If DD goes to school for me, I can concentrate on more important things. Like sleep, food and video games."

"It's a wonder you ever manage to accomplish anything," Rei grumbled.

"I heard that!" Serena snapped.

"Guys," Lita interrupted, looking uncomfortable. "Maybe we should figure out where to put DD first."

Ami contemplated for a moment. "I can't imagine any of our parents would be likely to enjoy having a droid floating around the house," she said. "That leaves only Lita and Rei."

"I'm NOT having it here anymore than necessary," Rei snapped.

"DD can stay with me," Lita offered. She turned to the droid. "But two things. One, we have to find a way to explain you and two; we can't keep calling you DD. You need a full-time disguise and a new name."

DD bobbled its visual receptors in a nod. "I believe I have a solution. It was something I did on Hakol. I masqueraded as the cousin of one of the natives."

"That might work," Lita mused.

The air around DD4T7 shimmered. A hologram of a girl appeared in its place. She had the same chestnut brown hair as Lita, though the girl's hair was as long as Mina's. Her eyes were also similar in color to Lita’s, but slightly darker. She also stood a half foot shorter than Lita.

"Is this satisfactory?" The girl asked.

"You look more like a sister," Lita replied. "But it'll work."

"What about her name?" Serena asked.

The group thought for a moment, before tossing around several names.

"What about Susan?" Rei offered.

"Maybe Rose?" Darien suggested.

"I like Charlotte," Serena said.

"It's a good name," Ami said to Serena.

The others nodded in agreement.

The girl smiled at the group. "Charlotte," she said. "My name is Charlotte."

"It's nice to meet you Charlotte," Serena said with a grin.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Raxicoricofallapatorius  
3 weeks later**

Lileen lumbered out of the court house looking pleased. His companion, a shorter Raxacoricofallapatorian, looked outright gleeful.

"We did it Lileen!" The companion crowed. "You're now one of the richest beings in the galaxy!"

"Indeed," Lileen rumbled happily. "Twenty million creds, just for losing an arm. Absolutely worth it. I should have sued the company years ago." He rubbed the stump of his arm contemplatively.

"Hah!" his companion snorted. "This will teach them to send workers to blatantly dangerous planets."

After a moment of silence, Lileen's companion turned her bulbous eyes to him. "What are you going to do with all that money?"

Lileen tilted his head. "First, I'm going to write a book about it. Earn a couple extra million. Then I'm going to hire the best bounty hunters in the galaxy to kill those Scouts. Once they're dead, I'll spend some money to have their heads preserved and mounted in my living room."

The companion scowled. "Make them pay for what they did to you, my darling Lileen."

"Oh, I shall," Lileen purred. "I shall indeed. Of course, we have to wait for the money to come through first."

"What shall we do until then?" His companion asked.

"I believe we shall celebrate my change in fortunes," Lileen replied.

His companion grinned before linking her arm in his. Together, the duo sauntered down the street.


End file.
